Do Small Businesses Need Social Media?

Okay, maybe you know that deep down, but if you are like the many SME’s out there who just don’t have the time or the know-how to firstly get to grips with posting something more in keeping with your business that silly cat videos, and secondly put in the time to create consistency, then social media can just sound like an up-hill struggle.

It will seem like a struggle if you are doing random posts here and there when you have a little spare time; you have no structure, no aim or no plan. Whereas investing time into social media, whether you’re doing it yourself or outsourcing it to someone like us, whose business it is to increase online visibility, will pay off quicker than you might think.

Small businesses need social media

Of course it’s important to choose the right social media platforms that you are going to post to. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter or one of the many others. This means asking your customers which social media they use and doing a little research yourself.

Outside of selecting the right platforms these three factors will definitely play a part in achieving greater online visibility. This in turn will generate more potential business leads.

Give it time –don’t expect instant success or your first post to go viral. Try to keep a lid on your expectations, your time investment is in being patient, not just allowing time to work on your profile and posts.

Post relevant content – your messages and posts need to be worth sharing. This means they have to be relevant to your business sector and to the audience you are hoping to engage with. We often come across businesses who say “social media doesn’t work for us, we have nothing worth sharing.” This is bull**** to be honest. If you run a good business you’ll have stuff to share; photos, testimonials, projects, news stories, promotions… the list goes on.

Don’t give up – small businesses need social media, this means you need to stick at it. Try different post types, analyse what gets reaction and what doesn’t. Most importantly going back to the first point ‘give it time’. Saying you’ve tried and ‘social media’s just not my thing’ won’t cut it… what it probably means is that you haven’t found the right platform for your business yet.

At Current Content we know that small businesses need social media. We also know that they are often neither, time-rich or cash-rich, which presents an easy excuse for that small business that opts out with ‘oh, social media won’t work for us’.

Successful social media is an investment

For those who know they should be doing these things to increase their online visibility but just can’t free up the time to do it, this is very stressful, especially when competitors are getting it right and you feel you are missing out. This is where Current Content comes in; to take that weight off your shoulders and that frustration you feel, allowing you to get on with what you do best while we schedule consistent posts filled with relevant content.